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Updated 07:34 p.m., Thursday, November 24, 2011

Acura has slightly restyled its TL model for 2012, making an already decent midsize premium sedan even better, giving it some exterior updates and a new, six-speed automatic transmission that helped boost highway fuel economy.

The new EPA ratings are 20 mpg city/28 highway with the base engine, up from 20/25 with the 2011 TL, which came with a five-speed automatic. Acura is among the last of the premium automakers to upgrade to at least a six-speed; some are already using seven- and eight-speed automatics in the quest for better mileage.

For 2012, the five-passenger TL starts at $35,605 (plus $885 freight) for the entry-level front-wheel-drive model with the base 3.5-liter V-6.

It ranges as high as $45,085 for the all-wheel drive version with the more powerful 3.7-liter V-6 and such features as the Advance and Technology packages, which gave it all available options.

Our tester was the top-of-the-line model, which even has such extras as a power trunk lid, blind-spot monitoring and one of the best audio systems available in a motor vehicle.

With the changes for 2012, the base 3.5-liter engine, rated at 280 horsepower, has been given some “friction-reduction technologies” to help with efficiency, Acura says. That engine and the uplevel 305-horsepower, 3.7-liter V-6 have revised air inlets to provide cooler air for more efficient combustion.

There is a fuel-economy tradeoff with the bigger engine and all-wheel drive, however. EPA ratings are 18 city/26 highway with the automatic transmission or 17/25 with the optional six-speed manual.

The six-speed automatic has Acura’s Sequential SportShift feature, which allows for manual shifting without having to use a clutch. It has a double-kick-down feature that allows for going down two levels at once, say from fifth to third gear, for more robust driving.

Acura coordinates the transmission with the electronic throttle system to better match gear speeds to engine rpm while downshifting, as well.

Among design changes were a new front bumper with improved aerodynamics, new grille, revised headlights and turn signals, new fog light design and a shorter front overhang.

There is also a new rear bumper, and the license-plate opening has been moved. There are smaller rear reflectors, new taillights and a thinner trunk-edge trim.

These changes for 2012 don’t represent a complete remake of the TL — they are just enhancements to the fourth-generation model that arrived three years ago, when several new features were added, including the bigger V-6 engine, the most powerful in Acura’s history.

All models with the 3.5-liter engine come with front-wheel drive, while the 3.7-liter engine is reserved for those with the Acura Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system.

The six-speed manual gearbox is available only with the bigger engine and all-wheel drive, and at only one price: $42,885. The Advance Package is not available with the manual model, but it does automatically come with the Technology Package.

The all-wheel drive gives the TL the feeling of a rear-drive vehicle and helps eliminate the pesky torque-steer problem that often plagues front-drive cars with powerful engines. (Torque steer is the tendency of a front-drive car to turn in the direction of the wheel that is getting the power.)

Standard on the all-wheel-drive models are four exhaust tips and a special SH-AWD badge.

There is a new, brighter color monitor screen for 2012 that is used for the audio and navigation systems.

It also allows for direct connection of an iPod or iPhone, which makes the music available through the audio system, with playlists and song lists showing up on the dash screen — and a feature that uses voice commands to play the music. This was a nice feature on a weekend trip we took in the TL — just tell it what song, playlist or artist you want to hear, and it plays.

The base audio system has eight speakers, 276 watts, a six-disc CD changer, AM/FM radio, XM, Bluetooth audio, a USB port and an auxiliary jack for an iPod or other device.

The Advance Package (which includes the Technology Package) adds ventilated front seats, larger wheels and a blind-spot warning system to let the driver know when there is a vehicle in the adjacent lane on either side.

But with the Advance Package on the front-drive TL, you’ll get 18-inch, five-spoke wheels; while the all-wheel-drive model comes with 19-inch, split five-spoke aluminum wheels with P245/40R19 all-season performance tires.

Based on the architecture of the newest generation of the popular Honda Accord sedan, which arrived for 2008, the TL competes in the entry premium segment that includes the Lexus ES 350, Infiniti G37, Mercedes-Benz C-class and the BMW 3-series. But it also goes up against such models as the Toyota Avalon, which has a remarkably similar appearance, and the Buick LaCrosse.

While the TL seats up to five, the middle position in the back seat is best left to kids (smaller ones). Legroom was decent for the rear passengers, and child-seat tethers and anchors are available in all three rear seating positions.

Trunk space is limited to just 13.1 cubic feet, which is less than what most midsize sedans offer. But the power opening/closing feature is unusual on an entry premium sedan — it’s usually found only on SUVs/crossovers or higher-priced sedans.

All TL models have Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering front body structure, designed to match the bumpers of other vehicles on the road.

At the Los Angeles Auto Show, FIAT unveiled its new high-performance 2012 FIAT 500 Abarth. A commercial also was shown featuring Romanian model Catrinel Menghia. Menghia represents the Abarth — dressed in matching colors and even wears the car’s scorpion logo on her neck. Her actions in the commercial are designed to drive home the […] …